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On Wednesday, Jan. 24th, 2018 SpaceX completed the first static fire test of the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. When Falcon Heavy lifts off, it will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.

Its first stage is composed of three Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft. Only the Saturn V moon rocket, last flown in 1973, delivered more payload to orbit. Falcon Heavy was designed from the outset to carry humans into space and restores the possibility of flying missions with crew to the Moon or Mars.

Facts about the SpaceX rocket that could one day send astronauts to the Moon and Mars. A demonstration flight is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2018 and will attempt to launch Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster and a SpaceX spacesuit-wearing mannequin into Mars orbit.

After successfully launching a Tesla Roadster and a mannequin wearing a spacesuit (called Starman) on Falcon Heavy's maiden voyage, the three first stage boosters flew back to Earth. Two of the boosters landed at SpaceX landing zones in Florida, while the status of the third was still pending at sea.

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida yesterday carrying its first payload -- a red Tesla roadster -- into orbit. Loren Grush spoke to CEO Elon Musk about the launch and what this means for the future of space travel, as well as Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye. The Falcon Heavy now holds the title for the world’s most powerful rocket, and its launch marks the first time a vehicle this massive has ever been sent up by a commercial company.

Gianluca Masi (Virtual Telescope Project) and Michael Schwartz (Tenagra Observatory) joined forces to capture imagery of the Tesla Roadster that was launched into space by SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. Video features the song "Here to Mars" by Coheed and Cambria

When Falcon Heavy lifted off, it became the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two. With the ability to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 lb)---a mass greater than a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel--Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, at one-third the cost.

Following liftoff, the two side boosters separated from the center core and returned to landing site for future reuse.

Falcon Heavy put a Tesla Roadster and its passenger, Starman, into orbit around the sun. At max velocity Starman and the Roadster will travel 11 km/s (7mi/s) and travel 400 million km (250 million mi) from Earth.

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Demonstration Mission launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 6 February 2018, at 20:45 UTC (15:45 ET). Falcon Heavy’s center core attempted to land on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, but failed to light two of the three engines during the landing burn and crashed into the ocean.